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| “ | All night they sleep and I never sleep... | „ |
| ~ The Coachman |
The Coachman (Italian: Il Conduttore del Carro), also known as the "Little Man" (L'Omino), is a major antagonist of Carlo Collodi's 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le avventure di Pinocchio).
Biography
The Coachman's name is never revealed, though he identifies himself as merely "The Little Man" (L'Omino). He meets Pinocchio and his new friend Candlewick on Busy Bee Island (Isola delle Api Industriose) in Chapter XXXI on a coach pulled by twenty-four donkeys wearing white shoes on their hooves. He offers them a ride to a place known as the Land of Toys (Il Paese dei Balocchi) and they agree. But his carriage was completely packed with other children, leaving Candlewick to sit in front with him and Pinocchio to ride one of the donkeys. The donkey throws Pinocchio off, and is reproached by the coachman, who bites half its right ear off. When Pinocchio remounts the donkey, the animal begins to weep like a human, and warns Pinocchio of the impending danger he faces. The coachman again reproaches the animal by biting off half of its other ear. The coachman proceeds to kidnap the innocent children to the Land of Toys, whilst singing to himself:
"All night they sleep and I never sleep…"
While Pinocchio and Candlewick have the time of their lives, they are unaware the Land of Toys was a ground for a virus that turns lazy children into donkeys. Within five months, Pinocchio and Candlewick turn into donkeys due to their idleness. In Chapter XXXII, the coachman breaks into their house, meticulously waxes their fur, and puts them on sale along with the other children who turned into donkeys. Candlewick is bought by a farmer, while Pinocchio is bought by a circus ringleader.
After Pinocchio narrowly survives and manages to reunite with his father, nothing else is known about him.
Other Media
Disney
- Main article: Coachman (Disney)
The Adventures of Pinocchio
- Main article: Lorenzini
The Coachman's role is fused with that of Mangiafuoco (renamed Lorenzini), who is played by Udo Kier. After Pinocchio accidentally sets Lorenzini's theatre on fire, Lorenzini changes career and begins luring unruly children to pleasure island, taking on the role originally filled by The Coachman. There, the children inevitably drink cursed water which turns them into donkeys. Lorenzini, during a struggle with Pinocchio, falls into the water and turns into a monstrous whale which swims out to sea.
Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio
The Coachman appears in the 2002 live-action adaptation of Pinocchio, portrayed by Luis Molteni and dubbed by Erik Bergmann in the English dub. He takes the boys to the Land of Toys, renamed Fun Forever Land in the English dub, and he is last seen guiding his clients through the place to look at potential donkeys to sale at the market.
Pinocchio 3000
- Main article: Mayor Scamboli
The Coachman is given the name Scamboli and is the mayor of the city, a widower who raises his little girl alone. He has ambitions to transform the city, removing all signs of nature and replacing it with aesthetic metal and technology. He does greatly love his daughter and is very protective of her. He is controlling, and sees children and life as a random factor he cannot account for, motivating him to transform both into something he understands: metal. until his plans get foiled and Scamboli presses a button to stop the machines. Pinocchio goes inside the whale and tries to fix it. Pinocchio finds the out-of-reach button, so he begins to tell a lie about his personality. Once he reached it, Scamboli was caught on the cart and Scamboli got turned into a robot and appears and Marlene was shocked.
Matteo Garrone's Pinocchio
The Coachman appears in the 2019 live-action adaptation of Pinocchio, where he was portrayed by Nino Scardina. He is dubbed in English by Giancarlo Magalli. He is more faithful to the original one, except he never mutilated any donkey. He has no name given officially but he is credited as "L'Omino di Burro" in the generic. He first appears with a carriage full of children and stops when he sees Pinocchio and his friend Lucignolo waiting for him. Lucignolo wants indeed to go into the seemingly wonderful land of toys and he invited Pinocchio to go with him. When the Coachman stops, Lucignolo embarks with pleasure but Pinocchio hesitates. The Coachman is reassuring and tries to convince the puppet to join them. He even asks the children to make this request in chorus. Pinocchio finally accepts and they go to the Land Toy. Once there, The Coachman helps the children get out of the carriage. The children are having fun and the old man even participates in some games. At nightfall, the children sleep in a common room and the Coachman counts them. The next day, Pinocchio and Lucignolo see with horror they are transforming into donkeys. The Coachman, hearing them bray, happily tells he hears them. He then sells the donkeys at a good price, the customers being unaware of their origin. Pinocchio is sold to a circus owner. The Coachman is not seen or mentioned afterwards.
2022 Disney film
- Main article: Coachman (2022)
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
- Main article: Podestà
The Coachman does not appear in the Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio, in his place being a character named the Podestà, a high-ranking government official in Italy, as the movie takes place in 20th century fascist Italy.
Gallery
External Links
- Coachman on the Pure Evil Wiki
 Villains
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Books Pinocchio by Winshluss: Stromboli.inc (Mr. Stromboli) | Nazi Clowns | Geppetto | Geppetto's Wife | The Organ Collector | The Mutant Dogfish | Wonder and El Baron | The Seven Rapists Movies | ||